Johann Rupert, Elon Musk and 4 Other South African Billionaires Who Made Headlines in 2023

• South Africa's richest made the headlines in 2023 for different reasons
• Johann Rupert, Elon Musk, Patrice Motsepe, Gerrie Fourie and Nicky Oppenheimer were recognised throughout the year as part of the global elite
• Briefly News compiled a list of the top headlines that included Mzansi's Cream of the crop

With eight years of experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist, analysed business developments and interviewed key figures in South Africa.

The lives and wealth of the rich and the famous have always fascinated people, and the South Africans who sit at the top of society are no different. From Johann Rupert being ranked as one of the world's wealthiest people to Patrice Motsepe being listed as one of the richest men in Africa, Briefly News compiled a list of the South African CEOs who made headlines in 2023.

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Johann Rupert and SA billionaires

South African businessman Johann Rupert, mining mogul Nicky Oppenheimer and businessman Nathan Kirsh made it on the Bloomberg Billionaires' Index list. Rupert, with a net worth of R185 billion, made it on the list as number 135. Nicky Oppenheimer, whose net worth is R152 billion, reached number 232. Natie Kirsh, with an R97 billion net worth, came in at number 306.

Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie

Capitec's CEO, Gerrie Fourie, raked the money in and made a stunning R62 million in the 2022/2023 financial year. This means that he made R170,000 every day. According to Business Tech, calculations also show that Gerrie made 154 times more than the average Capitec employee.

Patrice Motsepe

Billionaire miner and Mamelodi Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe was recognised along with Nigerian Aliko Dangote by the American publication Complex. The magazine recognised them on their top Black Billionaires of the World List.

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Elon Musk

No rich-man list will be complete without the eccentric Elon Musk. Musk, the owner of X, formerly Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX, made headlines when he announced that he would not leave his empire as an inheritance to his children. He revealed he did not believe in passing his empire down to his children.

Johann Rupert pocketed R100 million

Johann Rupert is no stranger to headlines. He made over R100 million in dividends from his company, Remgro. According to MoneyWeb, The value of his shares in the company rose by 60% from 150 cents per share in 2022 to 240 cents in 2023.

Johann Rupert's net worth dropped

In a related story, Briefly News reported that Johann Rupert's net worth dropped by R70 billion.

Rupert's shares in Richemont lost value because people started spending less on luxurious items. South Africans were unmoved and believed that R70 billion was a slight change. Some even joked that if they had a portion of what he lost, they would be set for life.

Source: Briefly News